


Blueshift

by ladymdc



Series: Something to believe in. [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Scientists, Attempt at Humor, Email Pals, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, Lyrium Withdrawal, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Prequel, Self-Doubt, Unresolved Romantic Tension, it's doubful my CullEv muse returns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-03-13 17:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18945985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymdc/pseuds/ladymdc
Summary: Blueshift [n]: A shift in the lines of an object's spectrum toward the blue end. Blueshift indicates an object is moving toward the observer. The larger the blueshift, the faster the object is moving.By the time Kirkwall was said and done, Cullen Rutherford had become numb to the good he had accomplished, and that was when he realized there was nothing left to give. The first day home was the first day of real recovery. It was also the day Mia tucked a stranger's email address into his hand, offering him a chance at the clean break he so desperately wanted.(A story of two strangers shifting into something so much more.)





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't touched [Negentropy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12713208/chapters/28993641) in over a year, but the muse has been calling. I decided exploring how this all began would be a good way to get back into it.
> 
>  **Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued** with that said, if you read all the one shots, you have an ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter names will be Glidden paint colors because I am Lame.

For the last several hours, Evelyn and her team had been pouring over the most recent batch of data in a pathetic attempt at passing the time. Exhaustion had finally settled in, but honestly, that was a drastic improvement. There for a bit, the four of them were about to bypass hangry and enter something close to hunger fueled rage, but thanks to Rylen’s latest fling, the potential bloodbath had been averted. 

“This one must really like you,” Evelyn said, tossing the stress ball back his direction. Not just anyone would go out of their way to deliver dinner to someone and their coworkers at such a late hour unless there was some underlying attachment. 

Rylen caught the projectile easily, and Evelyn watched with mild bewilderment as his mouth twitched into a frown. 

“Holy shit.  _ You  _ really like this one.” 

Simultaneously, Ez and Sera perked up from the other side of the shared workspace. 

“No shite?”

“Aye, I do,” Rylen said, then began to absently squish the stress ball. He looked like he was sweating. He probably was. It had been a year since he successfully detoxed, but an increase in core temperature was a common, long-lasting side effect. They still weren’t sure if it would ever pass, but he swore it was nothing compared to the migraines and tremors that had once plagued him.

“Huh,” Ez said, tapping a pen against the report he was redlining. “Does she have a name?”

“Her name’s Abigail; we met a few weeks back at The Cloak and Stagger. She works there.”

“Oi! Is she there now?” asked Sera.

“Aye, she dropped off the food on her way in.”

“Then we should go to fish-pie-Friday. You know...” Sera waggled her eyebrows. “Thank her. Maybe show‘er my bees; let’er have a taste o’ honey if she wants.”

Rylen let out a few barks of laughter. “Sure,” he said. “You’re like a girlfriend material litmus test anyway.” 

“High praise,” Sera said, smirking.

“It’ll be good,” Ez put in. “We can either drink away our sorrow or —“

As if on cue, Evelyn’s email pinged. The sound was barely audible under their conversation, but the way her team reacted, it may as well have been a gunshot. It was understandable though. They had been waiting hours now for the Order to make a final decision regarding the extent of their involvement in the New Haven project. While unnecessary overall, they put their blood, sweat, and tears into the technology and seeing it come to life would be a dream come true. Finishing construction on the building would take approximately nine more months, which would allow them plenty of time to run additional stress tests and adjust the system accordingly before setting up and then tentatively launching a year from today.

For obvious reasons, Evelyn ignored the other email that had come in and opened the one from General Trentwatch. A brief once-over told her all she needed to know. 

“Well, we officially have a reason to celebrate.”

Rylen tossed the stress ball back her direction. “See, lass, I told you there was nothing to worry about.” 

Reflexively, she began to squeeze the little bumblebee once it was in her hand. “Sure, keep telling yourself you knew they’d keep us on.” 

“They’d be mad not to. Get your asses moving guys; we gotta lass to check out,” Sera said, setting off another round of laughter from Rylen. 

Evelyn managed to snag a brief, one-armed hug from the elf on her way out the door. When her twin came around the table, she pointed at him. “Don’t say it.”

Ez smiled, sad but trying, then pulled her in for a hug. Without a doubt, their father would be proud. It was something she’d dwell on later, but with any luck, it wouldn’t be tonight.

“I wasn’t going to say a thing,” Ez said, patting her back before releasing her. “Except ask if you wanted fried mushrooms with your fish pie?”

“And a whiskey on the rocks,” Evelyn said with a sigh. It would be nice to have something strong to wind down after such a long and stressful day. “Are you going to warn Abigail?”

Rylen smirked. “She prefers Abby, and no. It’ll be part of the fun.”

“Brave man,” she said, plopping back down in her chair and retrieving her tablet. “I just need to answer this email from Skyhold, then I’ll be on my way.”

Ez grabbed his briefcase. “They don’t take no for an answer, do they?” 

She shrugged. “I told them it depended on the Order’s answer. It’s probably just another reminder that their offer still stands should anything change; since I am sure they already know the news.”

“Creepy,” Ez muttered, clapping Rylen on the shoulder on his way out the room. 

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, ready to fire off her standard reply, but then had to squint her eyes against the obscenely bright screen. The tablet was new, but it seemed to randomly ratchet up to full brightness for no apparent reason at the worst times. Once it had been dimmed, she pulled up the email. Usually, the Nightingale contacted her directly, so the fact it wasn’t her had been what caught Evelyn’s attention in the first place. 

It took her several tries to read the email in its entirety because it had not been what she was expecting, at all.

> _ From: CSRutherford@SkyholdSyn.com _  
>  _ To: EIT@OA.edu _  
>  _ Subject: Inquiry. _  
>  _ Received: Today at 20:34_  
>  _ 📎: CSR Eval, CSR Physical_
> 
> _ Dr. Trevelyan:  _
> 
> _ My name is Cullen Rutherford, and I am the former Commander of the Order, Southern Division. Like many Templars, I am familiar with the detox program that was developed thanks to your research, and I would like to start off by thanking you. _
> 
> _ With that said, I am reaching out to you directly in hopes you will lend me your expertise in the matter because I wish to expedite the process considerably. Both detox clinics have already refused to consider my request. With the increased risks, I understand why, but before you also deny me know that I do not have a death wish. The impact on my overall health will be severe but temporary and a small price to pay to receive the clean break I want.  _
> 
> _ I know assisting someone who is located in a different country through detox isn’t an ideal situation, but I have a roommate and family located nearby. Additionally, my position with Skyhold Synergy gives me access to an onsite physician and therapist. I would be upfront and honest with my progress or lack thereof, and if nothing else, this endeavor will at least provide more data for a program still in its infancy. _
> 
> _ I have attached the physical and psych eval I received upon discharge; apologies in advance for any redacted, and thus unhelpful, information.  _
> 
> _ I look forward to your favorable reply.  _
> 
> _ Sincerely, _  
>  _ C.S. Rutherford _  
>  _ Military Liaison, Skyhold Synergy_

Blindly feeling the back of the monitor, Evelyn powered up her desktop. Based on how Rylen had stalled, he had something or say or knew something was up. Either way, she was glad that he had stuck around. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course.” 

She swiveled her chair around to face him. Evelyn owed him her doctorate for not only going through detox, but for approaching her after having had come across her thesis, and suggesting they put her theory to the test and develop a safe, controlled method. Then had volunteered. 

“Do you wish you had detoxed faster?”

“No. We did what was necessary to show them it was possible.” Rylen adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag. “From here, that’s the next logical step though, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Evelyn agreed. If successful, it could save lives should Orzammar ever decide to place another embargo on lyrium. However, if this failed, it’d only prove her entire career had been built upon chasing the impossible. That and she’d have killed someone instead of saving them.

“Evelyn, I can hear you thinking—“

“Shut up.” 

Rylen chuckled. “Listen, we all have stuff that we’re dealing with, but since when do you let it get in the way?”

“Since today, I guess.”

“Look, it’s almost 21:00; let’s go,” he said. “I’ll drive, you can catch a ride home with Ez, or call a cab. Whatever. And on the way, just tell them aye, but you’ve got a fish pie with your name on it, so you’ll have to hold off on stressing over the details until tomorrow.”

And that was precisely what Evelyn did because if she didn’t celebrate her successes, how would she ever continue to handle her losses?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I don’t plan on updating this frequently; it’s just something smol & for fun when the muse strikes.
> 
> (2) As usual, Abigail belongs to [LarasLandlockedBlues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarasLandlockedBlues).


	2. Evasive Blue

Cullen awoke suddenly. His eyes had simply opened, and he knew only that the dream had been one of those memories he wished the damn lyrium would take from him. Some things had faded over time. Nothing significant. Just annoying details like what color tie Cullen had worn to Mia’s graduation or the make and model of his first vehicle. It was like looking through fogged glass. He could still make out the shape of it, but that was all. 

That was what this dream felt like. Present yet invisible, simultaneously there and not there. However, Cullen refused to dwell on it because he could sense there had been pain in it, and betrayal and loss. That was more than enough to tell him the last thing he wanted to do was bring it into focus. Had it been anything else, Cullen would have taken measures to try to recall, concentrated until it came back or dug through old pictures because it bothered him that sometimes he couldn’t just  _ remember. _

Flinging an arm out, he blindly patted around on the carpet until he found his phone. Furnishing the place before the move hadn’t even crossed his mind until he had walked in the front door. Cullen only had a mattress, pillows, and some very nice sheets to sleep on because Mia knew him far too well. 

For a second, he squinted against the brightness of the touchscreen, but his vision quickly adjusted. It was only 05:21, but it wasn’t much earlier than he usually started the day. Errantly, he acknowledged he had been in his new house for exactly thirteen hours. The next thing he processed was the badge notifying him of two unread emails. Reflexively, Cullen opened the app. 

One was from Leliana, and the other was from a vaguely familiar email address. It took Cullen several moments to register who it was because he was not yet fully awake. The day before had been exhausting. It was a four-hour ferry trip across the Waking Sea from Kirkwall to Jader, then from there another six-hour drive to Honnleath. Then the split-second Cullen had informed Mia that he and Dante had made it safe and sound, his family had immediately descended upon them. They had brought food and insisted on helping unload the vehicle and trailer, then everyone had hung around in his box-filled den until Branson’s little girls grew tired just before 20:00.

He had enjoyed the evening beyond words. Cullen couldn’t remember the last time they had all been together, and that alone was worth how tired he still felt. Well, that and receiving his last chance at the clean break from the Order he so desperately wanted. Yet, when he selected the email, Cullen tried not to feel any semblance of hope. 

> _ From: EIT@OA.edu _  
>  _ To: CSRutherford@SkyholdSyn.com _  
>  _ Subject: RE: Inquiry.  _  
>  _ Received: Yesterday at 20:46_
> 
> _ Cdr. Rutherford:  _
> 
> _ My favorable reply you shall have; however, right now, I have a fish-pie and some fried mushrooms with my name on them. Given your current position within Skyhold, I’m sure you know why.  _
> 
> _ For now, please keep taking your doses as you usually would, and within 24 hours I will have a tentative detox plan outlined for you. I will also send over as much relevant information as possible. Not much will be up for discussion because I want to see you succeed, not die, but I will at least listen to any objections you may have before probably still telling you no.  _
> 
> _ As you said, the impact on your health — physically and mentally — will be severe, but I will be with you through it all, in whatever way you may need.  _
> 
> _ E.I. Trevelyan, Ph.D. | Research Lecturer of Lyrium Studies _  
>  _ Ostwick Academy | Dept. of Physics & Engineering _  
>  _ Please excuse any typos - this email was sent from my iPad_

To say he was surprised was an understatement. Cullen had anticipated a flat out denial. Should he be unable to pull through the worst of the withdrawals, it could seriously damage her career. Then there was that last part, that kindness Cullen was not sure what he thought of. 

It was thanks to his former position within the Order that he could guess why Dr. Trevelyan had reason to celebrate. What that had to do with Skyhold Synergy, he did not know and decided it was irrelevant. To date, Cullen had only stepped foot onto the premises once to fill out paperwork and collect his laptop. What was relevant was Dr. Trevelyan had to be an incredibly busy woman. The last thing she needed would be for Cullen to share his burdens. Shouldn’t guiding him through detox be enough? Wasn’t he already asking too much from her? 

But then Cullen realized she did not outline it as a requirement. Either she was just being polite or exercising good bedside manner, and with that, he set his thoughts of Dr. Trevelyan aside until he heard from her further. Nothing beneficial would come out of fixating on the upcoming trial. And yet that was exactly what he would be doing very soon because, in Leliana’s email, he found a threat to his very life if he did not come into the office so they could have a ‘discussion.’

In all actuality, he had seen that coming. Mia was the one who had pulled him aside to give him the contact information for Dr. Trevelyan. As in all of it. Including the woman’s home address and cell phone number, and considering she was a mage, it would be highly classified. Without a doubt, Mia had gotten it from Leliana. 

She had been a part of Cullen’s life in one way or another for the past decade. Initially, it was due to the nature of Skyhold Synergy’s lead operations and the necessary involvement of the Order because of it. Then one day, three years ago, Mia and Leliana bumped into each other at a local coffee shop, and she became a personal thorn in his side too. Cullen suspected someday in the not so distant future, he would be gaining another sister. However, if anyone deserved their happily ever after, it was Mia. 

He appreciated that Leliana was concerned with how his choices would affect Mia, but as Cullen had told Dr. Trevelyan, he did not have a death wish. He would gladly reiterate that to Leliana in person. The only reason he hadn’t spoken to her directly about any of it was there had not been a need to. He had been told abrupt, complete cessation was out of the question. Twice. Cullen had sincerely expected to go through the standard detox program and thus would not have worried anyone or needed to miss more than a week of work. 

Since Leliana was just as terrible as he was about working far too much, Cullen pushed himself out of bed to get ready. Twenty minutes later, he was showered, shaved, and bracing his hands on the countertop as he closed his eyes against those first few minutes of profound clarity. Lyrium amplified the senses, gave him strength and a single-minded focus, and he loved it as much as he loathed it. 

He used to find purpose in connecting to something so much greater than himself, but now it didn’t feel like he belonged in his own skin. It had felt that way for years, and every dose made it a little worse. Cullen just wanted to feel like himself again. 

Whoever that was. 

Dante declined to tag along via disinterested grunt when asked, and Cullen was a little envious that the mabari was able to spend the day relaxing and catching up on sleep. Retirement from the Order for Dante was a far different thing than it was for Cullen. However, he never would have taken the job if it hadn’t been appealing. 

He would be defending the mages’ rights to their intellectual property instead of watching the Order strong-arm it out of their control. Skyhold’s lawyer, Vivienne de Ghislain, had done a damn good job on her own over the years. Without her, the company would have folded like every other one that had attempted to focus on magical research and development. Adding in his expertise of the inner workings of the Order, and there was a decent chance at keeping them out of Skyhold affairs for good. 

Once on the Skyhold Synergy grounds, he pulled out his phone and messaged Leliana as he made his way into the building. 

**Contact:** The Nightingale  
  
**Today** 06:15  
**Cullen:** I'm here.  
**Cullen:** On a Saturday.  
**Leliana:** Don’t act like you weren’t planning on coming in.  
**Leliana:** I’m in the vidcom room. I hope you brought me coffee.  
**Cullen:** No. If you are going to eat my ass, you get to taste it.  
**Leliana:** I hate you. ❤️  
**Cullen:** I hate you too.  


Smiling to himself, Cullen closed the conversation and discovered a new email as he entered the elevator. It was very… short. 

> _ From: EIT@OA.edu _  
>  _ To: CSRutherford@SkyholdSyn.com _  
>  _ Subject: The Plan (™ pending)  _  
>  _ Received: Today at 06:19 _  
>  _ 📎: Approach Risks & Recovery, Things not up for discussions, <see 3 more>_
> 
> _ See attached. Let me know what you think. _
> 
> _ EIT _

The first attachment, however, was pages long. Unfortunately, the elevator really  _ moved,  _ and before he knew it, he was exiting into the hallway on the third floor. As much as he wanted to slip into his office and read everything so he could craft a reply, Cullen shouldered open the door on his right. Inside, Leliana was sitting at the conference table with several files strewn about and the local news up on the massive screen used for video calls. 

“You have coffee,” he observed dryly. 

“If I’m going to eat ass and taste it, it won’t be—“

“Maker, please shut up.” 

Leliana laughed. “I’ll settle for a change of subject since we have a lot of information to sort through before you actually do this.” 

“We?” Cullen asked, confused, as he set his briefcase down on the floor and took a seat. 

“Trevelyan has already been in contact with me to verify that I do, in fact, have a physician and therapist on staff,” she said, then at his frown added: “You know very well it’s nothing personal.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh. Tucked away on the outskirts of Honnleath, Skyhold Synergy was very secretive and elusive. The general public did not even know what it was that Skyhold did precisely, just that it had ties to the Order and had brought modest growth to the sleepy town. 

“It’s just she had cause to celebrate last night, and yet she had taken the time to…” Cullen trailed off, gesturing vaguely. 

“Well, she didn’t get to where she is by being idle.” Leliana pushed forward a couple files. 

Randomly selecting one, Cullen felt his eyebrows go up as he found himself looking at copies of handwritten notes. “Are these hers?”

“Yes. Her cousin, Dorian Pavus, is one of our lead researchers, and last year, he helped her with preparations to defend her dissertation. He gave everything to me once Trevelyan had succeeded; with her permission, of course.”

“That was very generous of her,” he said, pulling over the second file.

“I think it’s in her nature,” Leliana said thoughtfully. “I’ve been trying to recruit Trevelyan for years, and as much as I’d like to badger you for not letting me use this as an opportunity to do so, I won’t.”

“I appreciate that,” he said, idly flipping through, what turned out to be the Order’s record on Dr. Evelyn Isla Trevelyan. He lifted random pieces of information from it. She was only twenty-six, had a twin, specialized in Air magics, and was the daughter of the late General Trevelyan. This last bit, however, gave him pause. 

The Trevelyans were a large, old family; it was a common last name, but Cullen did not realize... He had just turned seventeen when Orzammar suspended the lyrium trade. The end result had been hundreds of deaths in the upper echelons of the Order as older Templars surrendered their rights to the reserves for those younger and able to survive the withdrawals should the embargo drag on that long. Which it almost did, but the bad publicity threatened to ruin Orzammar, and the Cirane Accord was quickly established. 

He remembered his family begging him to reconsider his plans to enlist, but the tragedy had only reinforced the decision. It seemed the same event had also sent Dr. Trevelyan down a similar, yet different path. His thumb traced the side of her picture. It was not her looks he was interested in, but he noticed them all the same. Long wavy, brunette hair, dark green eyes, and olive skin.

“But if I had known who she was, I might have let you,” he told her.

“It seems she’ll forever be the one who got away…”

Cullen couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) If anything is vague, feel free to ask for clarification. I don't want to rehash too much that I already outlined/published in Negentropy because that feels redundant to me. 
> 
> 2) After this chapter, I will start moving time. I don't want to drag this fic out forever, just explore how it all began for Cullen & Evelyn. Currently, I'm planning on a chapter/month from here until the start of Neg., but we'll see how that pans out.
> 
> 3) You all can pry my tiny Leliana/Mia ship from my cold, dead fingers. ❤️


End file.
